Random Thoughts

Forget the Prince of Persia you once knew. The Prince of the last generation of game consoles lived in a static world. He went from one obstacle to the next and no matter how many times you played the quest, the layout remained the same. Once a saw blade, always a saw blade -- such was the life of a trap in previous Prince of Persias. The new Prince of Persia, built on the Assassin's Creed Anvil engine, is set in a dynamic, open world. The traps you encounter in an area in hour one will be completely different from the ones you come across in hour six. The world continually changes based on the choices you make, bringing considerable replayability to Ubisoft Montreal's upcoming title.




While the world is dynamically changing throughout your adventure, it should be noted that the Prince will not. There are no weapon upgrades and no acrobatic moves to unlock. The Prince you control at the outset of the game is the same one you will use to take down the final boss. That's not to say the Prince won't endure the emotional toll of cleansing the world of corruption, but from a gameplay perspective, you will have all the tools you need in the Prince to force the evil Ahriman back into his prison.

See ya!
Elika, on the other hand, has some growing to do. Though a descendant of the original guardians of Ahriman's prison, Elika has had little need to tap into her ancestral powers. Her magical abilities are fairly weak at the start of the game and you'll need to unlock new magic to get past some areas of the world. When the lieutenant (aka boss) of an area is defeated, Elika and the Prince make their way to fertile ground.

Symbolized by a beacon of blue light, the fertile ground is the section of a level that can be used to rid the area of corruption. Elika touches the ground and uses her magic. Grass springs up, the dark clouds part, the corruption dissipates and the area is healthy again. The healed area also spawns numerous "light seeds." These luminous balls are magical currency for Elika. You can now go back through an area and collect the seeds, which can then be used to purchase new magical abilities.

The seeds are spread throughout the level and will put you on brand new paths of exploration. The corruption is gone from the area, so there are no traps, but you still have considerable acrobatic challenges to complete to get all the seeds.

Different magic can open access to new areas. This isn't to say that you can't visit an area, but there may be elements you can't get past without specific magic. So the powers you choose will guide your path through the open world. One example of this is shown in the E3 demo. There are red magical plates embedded in structures around the level. With the Rebound spell, Elika and the Prince leap from one plate to the next. Each plate focuses Elika's magical power. Again, it's not something she's ever needed to do before, but with corruption seeping into the world, Elika is forced to discover her potential.

Elika shows the Prince how it's done.
The E3 demo begins with the Prince and his companion Elika arriving in an area infested by corruption. The black goo acts as your constant adversary throughout POP -- it makes up the traps and enemies you encounter. Elika's Compass spell casts a light on the direction of your objective. It doesn't tell you how to get there, but it will keep you from getting completely lost. And it's a clever way to negate the need for a mini-map -- or any HUD at all.